My time with Belch has been a bit crazy. Our relationship started out as a foster, but Belch was so sick when I got him that I felt I couldn’t leave his life in the hands of anyone else…especially anyone else associated with the breeder he came from. Up until he came into my life, I had only ever owned dogs on my own. I had considered myself a “dog person”, for the selfish reason of reciprocated love. I had always stated that if I was to get a cat it would be, “one of those hairless cats”, because they were just different. So, naturally, I apprehensively jumped at the opportunity to foster. I thought I had done adequate research beforehand, but boy was I wrong. I knew NOTHING! From the first second I met Belch, he began causing little ruptures on my heart. As soon as I had finished dog introductions he strutted right out of his crate and over to my senior Rottweiler mix, Rotten. That was the first time I had ever heard him purr. This began his long journey of trying to get Rotten to allow him to snuggle under him. The next morning, I actually thought he was deceased. Poor little guy had been left with an untreated uri for an extended period of time and when morning came his nose had a solid blood crust and his eyes were so cloudy I thought he was blind. At the time, I was unaware that not all vets are of equal skill. We went to a local vet that came highly recommended, as it turned out, for all of the wrong reasons. She did a visual inspection of Belch, weighed him, asked me if he had been fixed, told me he had herpes, and then gave me some azithromycin. From there, he went on to be sick for a little bit, have a freak accident, get a whole new vet and a clean bill of health. My heart would just constantly be breaking for my little guy and all the while he seemed as happy as can be! Even when he had his freak accident, all he wanted to do was play and snuggle. In fact, on the way to the emergency vet he lept from the passenger’s seat to the side of my head, latched on, and licked my face. Every day with him feels like I get to watch my whole heart roam around outside of my body all while making pigeon noises and digging his food out of his bowl just to chase it around. He had completely turned me from a dog person to a sphynx person. About a year after I got Belch, Brenda, aka Burp, quickly stumbled into our lives. I was.worried Belch would be terribly jealous, or upset. Instead, he stared at her for 3 days patiently waiting for the moment she’d accept him. He’d slowly reach his paw over, if she growled he’d retract it and just continue to stare and wait. Belch was in love….good thing for all of my fuzzy blankets…aka his ex girlfriends. I’ve now had Belch almost 5 years. Aside from the heartbreak at the beginning, it’s been the best experience of my life. He’s like a tiny little naked alien monkey clown. He answers when I ask him questions. He is the best at snuggling. He politely taps my face until I lift the blankets up for him. Dogs are his favorite. When it’s wrestle time, he always let’s someone else win and never delivers the slaps you hear across the house. He loves the snow, and mud puddles. He finally learned to knead last year. He melts in the sun, just like chocolate, but twice as sweet. He knows that when you whistle for him he has the green light to stand in your chest and rub his face on yours. He yells for you to come and stay with him while he goes #2. He’s scared of feet. He misses you when you’re in the bath so he extendends his arms to your shoulders. He’s survived hair gain/hair loss, wind storms, snow storms, slumber parties, big move, loss of Rotten, gaining two more pet siblings, a step person, and step children people. Not only has he survived them, but he’s done it with nothing but love and excitement. Through my sphynx ownership I’ve gained a strong sense of community with other sphynx owners. With that sense of community comes so much excitement, wonder, and help! When Belch was sick I was able to reach out and get the help/advice I really needed. It’s really a great feeling! I’ve learned that they’re all the sweetest little clowns you could ever imagine. It’s so fun to share stories, and read others stories. It truly seems like love in its truest and purest form is a sphynx. It’s safe to say, I am obsessed!
-Haley Muckley
You can follow more of Belch’s story and adventures on his Instagram, account at www.instagram.com/thenakidsbelchandburp